Taiwan's Foundries Lead Recovery
In the Beleaguered Chip Industry

After three years of dismal sales and falling prices, chip makers and their suppliers are starting to see a brighter outlook. But this is an upturn like no other for the industry.

The big difference: Makers of memory chips, a huge product category that is subject to major swings in demand and pricing, are mostly still in the dumps. This time, it is Taiwan's foundries, the manufacturers that make chips on behalf of other companies, that are leading the recovery.